LEED Platinum Home
Culver City, CA
2,500 SF
Completed 2010
Creating an indoor, vertical garden and heat evacuation tower that purifies and cools the air
This single-family home has many green features. The house’s highlight is the three-story vertically landscaped tower that is integrated into the design for both aesthetic value and to help cool the interior. As the hot air passes across and out the top of the tower, the air is purified by plant material. This home received a LEED PLATINUM rating from the United States Green Building Council.
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Water: All roof rainwater is distributed back into the landscape, a cistern or an infiltration pit in lieu of running into the street, where it would get contaminated and flow through Ballona Creek into the ocean. Duvivier prescribed a system that diverts graywater to a tank for irrigation. The landscape is drought tolerant, native or edible. There is no need for additional irrigation.
Energy: Saving energy also saves water. This project is 48.8% more efficient than the California Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24) and has photovoltaics that provide 6.5 Kilowatts of power. The design includes natural daylight and ventilation throughout and a passive solar heating/cooling system with large south facing windows strategically placed to absorb winter sun, while the large overhangs prevent solar gain in summer. The concrete floor serves as a thermal mass for storing heat.
Materials: Duvivier used alternative materials such as bamboo, cork floors and engineered lumber. 75% of all material is recycled. Even the doors are handmade from demolished 2 x 4’s.
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The home has been visited by hundreds of architects and community members to learn more about green building technique, both during construction and after.
